What is GIS?

What is Geographic Information Systems (GIS)?

Geographic Information Systems are computer based tools for mapping and analyzing features and events on earth. GIS technology integrates common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps.

Features

Information

Every feature in a GIS map has a record in a table linked to it. For example, a sewer pipe (represented by a line) can have information about its length, diameter, flow rate, most recent maintenance, or an endless list limited only by the user’s needs. These are known as a feature’s attributes. In the map you can highlight (select) a feature, open up the table, and examine all the information related to it. Or you can select a record in the table to see where the feature is on the map.

Spatial Queries

A GIS user can also query features based on their location in relation to other ones-what is near what, how many are in that one, how close is this to that, and so on. For example, which towns have golf courses within their borders?